Thorns of Love
by Phantom Hitman 1412
Summary: Tsuna keeps on finding roses on his desk, always there in his hardest times to cheer him up. Eventually he finds the culprit, his tutor, a man like a rose with thorns. R27 romance. Secret Santa Gift-fic for Lightning515!


**Ta-tata-taaaaaa~ This is my Secret Santa gift for ****Lightning515!**

**I hope you like my gift, I spent forever working on this fic. The only problem is… **_**I can't write fluff!**_** *bursts into tears* This fic has gone through about 4 different incarnations since I kept on coming up with ideas and then not thinking they were fluffy enough. My plunnies kept on being action or serious, and I was like**_ 'This isn't fluffy enough. There's more action than fluff, let's go back to an earlier point in time and add the fluff there. Okay, give up and write the R27 instead. Damn it, I've written another action scene. Ahh! Why do I want to write Bermuda so badly? Maybe this would work, damn that scene is going to make me cry and there's only a little bit of fluff at the end, do something else.'_** (a friend of mine who I was complaining to can attest to most of this and I've another document filled with my half written scenes for two different fics that this could have been). In fact the fic below had most of it's parts rewritten at some point lol. **

**But at least you know I've spent a ****hell**** of a lot of time on this fic. I just really badly wanted to make it super duper awesome, because you review a lot of my stuff and are really supportive and all around amazing and I wanted to give something back. So I hope this is to your satisfaction, even if it isn't super fluffy *bows*.**

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><p><em>You think you can escape me. <em>

_You're wrong._

_You gave this monster a heart._

_Now you shall pay the price._

_Don't look away._

_Keep your gaze entirely on me._

_Your heart will be in my hands before you know it._

_You've given this monster a heart, and now it wants yours._

_You think you can escape me. _

_You're wrong._

_You're mine. _

_And I won't ever let you go._

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><p>There was a rose on his desk.<p>

That was weird.

Tsuna looked at the rose curiously before crossing the room to take a closer look. He didn't know why there would be a rose on his desk. It wasn't part of a flower arrangement, just a single ruby red rose. It didn't seem to be attached to anything else, no trip wires or threads, and his intuition said it was clear of poison. Just an innocent red rose sat at the centre of his desk. It was so strange, Tsuna thought as he went to pick it up.

"Ouch." He hissed, adjusting his grip on the rose and noticing a bead of blood well up and drip down his finger. As he put that finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding, he examined the rose again, looking from the flower that had attracted his attention down to the stem and the thorns that resided there. Hmm, he'd have to be careful of them.

He was distracted by the door to his office opening.

"What do you have there Juudaime?" Gokudera asked, walking across the room with some files in his hands.

"A rose." Tsuna said slowly, turning to show it to his Right Hand.

Gokudera looked at the rose rather analytically. "Maybe Juudaime has a secret admirer." He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He had already fended off many advances from women who thought they were good enough for Juudaime. None of them had been worthy of him! Juudaime deserved only the very best. Someone who loved Juudaime, not saw him only as a stepping stone to riches and power.

Tsuna spluttered and blushed. A secret admirer? Him? Haha, surely not. This was probably a prank instead then.

Despite that thought, he still placed the stem in the glass of water on his desk before sitting down and turning to give Gokudera his full attention. "So these files then…"

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><p>The roses kept appearing at random times. Tsuna didn't have a clue as to who was placing them in his office. But every now and again, there one would be, sat innocently on his desk. He quickly learned to mind the thorns, although sometimes he'd forget and scratch himself. He didn't mind about the thorns though, not when the flower began to mean so much to him. On days he was stressed, or days when he felt like giving up, on days when he wanted to cry and block the world out, he'd go to his office and there it would be, a single red rose sat in the centre of his desk.<p>

They weren't anything expensive or rare, but that really didn't matter. They always brought a smile to his face and that was what was important. Sometimes it was nice to know, that someone out there, somewhere, liked you and was thinking about you. That for once, someone wasn't planning to kill the famed Boss of the most prestigious Mafia Famiglia.

But there hadn't been one today.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna. Stop being so nervous. Everyone in this room should be scared of you, not the other way around."

Tsuna turned to look up at Reborn, trying to stop his quivering. This was one of the first important meetings he'd be attending without Nono present, so of course he'd be worried! Slowly Tsuna nodded, Reborn was right after all, and tried even harder to calm down. He didn't want to disappoint Reborn.

Natsu pawed at his leg, so Tsuna bent down to pick him up and burry his face in the warm mane of his partner. "Ahh, Natsu, what should I do? There was no rose today. Is that a good sign or a bad one?" As much as he'd hate to say it, the rose not being there was a knock to his confidence.

Reborn sighed and stepped forwards, giving Tsuna a bop on the head. "If you are starting to reply on the roses so much then maybe I should take them away."

Tsuna's heart sped up as his stomach dropped, conflicting emotions on his face. He shouldn't hope Reborn meant those words the way he wished they were meant. Because that idea was silly and preposterous.

But he didn't want the roses to stop.

"You know who is sending them to me?" Tsuna questioned. Reborn knew about the roses, of course, and had teased Tsuna relentlessly about them.

Reborn gave him his usual brand of knowing look. "Of course I know." Because everyone knew Reborn knew _everything. _Tsuna didn't dare ask how Reborn knew _everything, _it was just something everyone accepted as a fact. Tsuna suspected it had something to do with Leon and Reborn's bugs, or spies, or minions or whatever he called them_._

"No."

Tsuna sighed, mouth open from where he had been about to speak. Of course Reborn wasn't going to tell him who this mysterious rose giver was.

"If you're a man and brave enough, then find out by yourself." Reborn said, smirking in challenge at Tsuna as the teen pouted. "But, in the mean time…"

Tsuna watched, slightly confused, as Reborn took his wrist. He wasn't going to get reprimanded again was he? But no, instead Reborn undid the buttons of his cuff and expose the skin of his wrist. In a bright glow, Leon turned into a pen and settled in Reborn's waiting hand. Watching carefully, Tsuna tried to guess what Reborn was drawing, but the man's hand was in the way and he couldn't see any ink.

After a short while, Reborn pulled away, finally letting Tsuna see his wrist. His _blank_ wrist… With another glow, Leon changed shape once more into a pocket flashlight and shined down upon the area. Finally Tsuna could see what Reborn had drawn. On his wrist, drawn in invisible ink, was a doodle of a rose, complete with thorns. Tsuna didn't have long to stare at it before Reborn re-did the buttons of the cuff and hid the invisible mark from view.

"Got confidence now?" Reborn asked before spinning the boy around and pushing him through the door and into the meeting.

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><p>Tsuna sighed and stared at the last of his drink in the bottom of his glass. He was all alone this evening, and feeling a little melancholic. Some of his friends were out on dates, enjoying time with their girlfriends or boyfriends. And here he was, all alone at a bar, drinking.<p>

He'd had a few girls come up and flirt with him. They were pretty enough, all dressed up for the outing, dolled up in make-up and heels. Tsuna could almost recite the pattern by heart now. And it was a rather strange one. He was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to go this way unless something was wrong with him.

A girl would come up, say some opening line that seemed rather rehearsed most of the time. He'd smile and reply back, she'd sit down and they'd start talking over drinks. That all sounded find and normal, right? But then the strange part would kick in. The girl would look over his shoulder at something or someone, and then their expression would change, often into a slightly fearful look. She'd stutter, or smile nervously, thank him for his time and run off, often forgetting their half-finished drinks.

That wasn't normal, right?

Tsuna tried looking behind, attempting to spot what had made the girls recoil and run from him, but everything seemed pretty normal.

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><p>"Excuse me, sir…" A waitress said to a man dressed in a suit and fedora, tucked into the back corner of the bar. "We'd really appreciate it if you stopped scaring the guests away…"<p>

The man, clearly a foreigner from his looks, but rather handsome, pulled his wallet out and placed a rather large amount of money on the table.

"This should cover it, right, _mia bella_?" The man said, midnight eyes peering out from under the brim of his fedora, a suave smile on his face.

The waitress blushed, looking away. She was used to being flirted with, what barmaid wasn't, but this man was something else. "Um… if I may…why don't you just go up to him?"

The man laughed. "Because it's more fun this way."

The waitress' eyes widened for a second, before accepting the fact. She'd seen this behaviour before.

"I think it's a little sad." She replied, looking over to the brown haired teen they were discussing. "You can't see his face from here, but I think he's finding this all rather painful. If you look at it from his perspective he's just been rejected by 5 ladies in less than two hours. Anyone would find that disheartening. He hasn't done anything wrong."

The man looked up at her with a sharp look that made her shiver in fear. She couldn't stand it and quickly looked away. "Sorry, it's not my place to say. Although… you might want to keep an eye on him."

Those sharp eyes followed her gaze, only to see the brunet walk out of the bar, rather unsteady on his feet.

The man sighed as he stood up and readjusted his fedora. "Seriously, where would he be without me looking after him?"

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><p>Tsuna walked towards one of the safe-houses he knew was in the area. He didn't feel like going back to the mansion where the others would be. He'd rather just wallow a little longer. Plus he might be slightly, a little… very, very intoxicated. He'd rather the others didn't see him like that.<p>

Eventually he reached the flat he wanted, found the key from its hiding place and entered. He toed his shoes off and left them by the door, his jacket slipped off his shoulders to land in a heap on the hallway floor as he made his way to the bedroom and flopped face first onto the bed.

It was a lonely life, that of a Mafia Boss. One step above everyone else, with so many people's fates resting on your shoulders. Even his love life was probably going to be used for diplomatic gain. The others were free to love as they wished, but he… half the time people got close to try and get in on his power, the other half wanted him to let his guard down enough to stab a knife through his heart. He wasn't allowed to fall for anyone normal, who in their right mind would want a Mafia Boss for a boyfriend?

He didn't really know why, whether because of the alcohol or circumstance, but tears dripped from his eyes and choked sobs got stuck in his throat. The alcohol, yeah, definitely that. It was the alcohol that made him blindly reach out towards the top of the bed, needing, hoping, wishing that… that…

That something soft would brush his hand.

The shock was large enough to stifle his tears so quickly he almost choked. Stock still he lay there, not moving an inch, hardly even breathing, wondering whether it was his imagination or not.

"It's real."

The voice should have shocked him too but it didn't. Instead, Tsuna wrapped his hand around the soft thing he had brushed against.

"Ouch."

He brought his hand back to him, lifting his face from the blankets enough to see his finger, a bead of blood balanced delicately on his skin. A little higher, eyes looking up and away, down the bed…

A rose. A bright red rose.

Tsuna practically leapt for the rose, his hand tightening around it, not caring about the thorns digging and breaking his skin.

"Love hurts. That's why it's represented by a rose. Something that pulls you in with its beauty before biting back, leaving you wounded and bleeding."

Tsuna looked up, away from the rose in his trembling grip, over to the window, the streetlights backlighting someone there. Looking back at the rose, Tsuna shook his head. "No. I wouldn't do that. Never to you." He whispered.

Suddenly there were hands on his, tugging one hand away from the rose, soft lips pressed against the multitude of small cuts. "I know you wouldn't."

The rose didn't represent love, but him and they both knew it. A handsome, calm, aloof exterior, covering up the sharp prickly underneath. Instincts like his didn't just disappear after years of being ingrained, his touch was sharp and short, accurate and deadly. There was more hidden behind the surface than he let on and sharp thorns would drive away anyone who wanted to know more, dig deeper.

But then there was Tsuna, time and time again accepting the rose and its bite, always with a smile, never throwing it away, never crushing it for its sting. He would hold on tightly with both hands, even as the rose made him bleed, before placing it somewhere safe and treasuring it.

And he would do the same for the man before him.

Tsuna turned his wrist, keeping it in the shadow's hold, but now cupping their cheek, softly smiling down at the man knelt before him. "Can I keep it?"

_Can I keep you?_

Another soft kiss pressed to his palm. "Are you sure you're brave enough? It might hurt you."

"I'm sure. I love you, Reborn."

Reborn let go of his hand and leaned upwards until he could press his lips against Tsuna's in a soft slow kiss.

"You've made this monster grow a heart. I hope you know the consequences." Reborn whispered, placing a hand over Tsuna's one on his cheek before kissing Tsuna again. Reborn was a special kind of monster after all, he'd have to be to gain the title of world's best assassin and hitman and hold the title for over a decade. He had enough blood on his hands to stain them as bright and ruby as the rose, so many dark secrets. Tsuna was seeing more and more of this side of him the deeper they went into the Mafia, but he had never once recoiled from Reborn.

Reborn had never thought it was in him to love another, especially with his occupation and lifestyle. But Tsuna, sweet, innocent Tsuna, doing his best to survive and change the Mafia, fighting hard to protect those precious to him and succeeding, with such strength of spirit and determination, such kindness and compassion when the world had never shown him any… Yes, he would quite willingly love Tsuna until the end of his days. To love, support, protect, anything and everything he could do to nurture and help him, to keep him smiling that beautiful smile.

Yes, that wondrous smile Tsuna was giving him right now.

"You've lost the chance to run, Tsuna. Leave now and I'll chase you down and make you mine again." Reborn's voice was deep and sultry, making Tsuna shiver with its intensity. Tsuna wouldn't want to run from Reborn, no one else could compare to him. He would never be able to repay Reborn for all the man had done for him. And now, Reborn giving his heart to him, Tsuna knew there was no chance at all. He had lost, utterly and completely.

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh, feeling Reborn's grip on him tighten. "I thought you liked it when I run. You love chasing after me with a hammer-Leon in hand. It's your favourite pastime, right?"

A shark's grin was on Reborn's face now. "I'll just have to find a new favourite pastime. Capturing your heart sounds like a good one."

Tsuna blushed and laughed again. "I think you have it Reborn, it's been yours for quite a while now. I've just never had the courage to say so."

"And now you do, huh?" Reborn smirked.

"Who wouldn't say yes if a dark handsome man gave you roses under the moonlight? Plus I'm pretty sure I'm drunk too. These things are supposed to be truer when you're drunk, right?" Tsuna grinned, so utterly happy that Reborn was here and his, finally.

Reborn just sighed. "If you forget about this in the morning, I'm kicking your ass all the way to Italy."

"I don't doubt that you could. But don't worry, I could never forget this. It's like a dream come true. I was hoping that the mysterious rose giver would come and rescue me tonight, and look, he did."

"You mean you were flirting with girls to make the person jealous?" Reborn asked with a stern look. Damn this boy.

Tsuna shrugged. "Not entirely. I was pretty sad that you hadn't done or said anything yet. Made me wonder if you were just playing with me or not. Then I wondered if something was wrong with me when all those girls left, but something tells me you had something to do with that." Reborn didn't even have the shame to look away or grin nervously, instead smirking proudly until Tsuna sighed.

"You knew it was me all along then?" Reborn asked, curious.

Tsuna shook his head and looked sheepish. "Not at first. Not until you drew that rose on my wrist. Couldn't get more obvious than that. A little while after, it occurred to me that you're the only other person who can enter my office when I'm not there. Not even Gokudera can. So you were the only person who could have put them there, and I don't see you doing that for someone else. I'm embarrassed about how long it took me to figure that out."

Reborn sniggered. "Dame-Tsuna."

"Hey! You took so long that I had to resort to drastic measure to get you to make a move!" Tsuna protested, pouting.

At this Reborn did look away. "I… had to make sure. But you were at the bar swapping between drinking rose and silver bullet cocktails. I was pretty sure after that."

Tsuna's expression turned soft and he caressed Reborn's cheek once again. "Well, there's nothing to worry about any more."

Reborn gave a matching smile, looking up with love heavy in his eyes. "You're mine. And I won't ever let you go."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! If anyone wants something <strong>_**super**_** fluffy, then check out my R27 fic from last year 'The Things I do For Him'. That one is a lot cuter than this one. **

**All the best wishes and luck for the New Year. Face it with your dying will!**

**Phantom Hitman 1412**

**First Published 24 December 2014**

**Also a great big thank you to everyone who participated in the Secret Santa this year. You guys are awesome! 3**


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